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War in the Middle East: in Beirut, communities divided after the death of the leader of Hezbollah
War in the Middle East: in Beirut, communities divided after the death of the leader of Hezbollah
(France 2)
Lebanon, a historically fragile and complex nation, is at the heart of the crisis in the Middle East. How did the population react to the death of Hassan Nasrallah?
In a street in Beirut, Saturday September 28, a woman screams and laments. Hezbollah has just announced the death of Hassan Nasrallah. The shock is enormous for the residents of the southern suburbs who have found refuge in downtown Beirut. They had left en masse from this Hezbollah stronghold to escape the bombings of the Israeli army.
In the southern suburbs, supporters march in honor of Hassan Nasrallah. The Lebanese army takes to the streets. In a Christian neighborhood, there is no Hezbollah presence but the anxiety remains. The streets are emptied, the stores closed. “We are afraid that there will be reprisals”worries a resident. A woman believes that Hassan Nasrallah “had been warned (…) It’s his fault”. In the afternoon, Hezbollah militants fired shots into the air as a show of force.
“Tonight in Beirut, there is an atmosphere of fear. Everyone is wary, everyone is looking at each other and in every neighborhood the situation seems like it could get out of control at any moment”concludes Luc Lacroix, special envoy to Beirut.
Watch the full report in the video above